This invention relates to a fuel gasifier for an internal combustion engine.
Various devices have been proposed to improve, augment or replace the carburetor for internal combustion engines, in efforts to increase fuel combustion efficiency. Representative ones of these devices are believed set forth in the following U.S. patents, arranged in inverse chronological order:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. ______________________________________ 4,870,249 Kayanuma et al 4,637,365 Yunick 4,538,583 Earl 4,438,750 Sviridov et al 3,667,436 Reichhelm 1,627,671 Shore 1,311,532 Schmid 504,723 Gray ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,249 discloses an electric heater for fueI at the carburetor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,365 discloses a carburetor system employing a fuel vaporizer, a homogenizing turbine, and a heater. U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,583 discloses a two stage evaporator with the upper chamber forming an expansion chamber, the fuel being heated by impingement on a thermal disc. U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,750 discloses a fuel injector for each cylinder, the fuel being heated by exhaust gases. U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,436 discloses use of electric heat and exhaust gas heat to preheat the fuel. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,627,671 and 504,723 disclose heating fuel with exhaust gases. U.S. Pat. No. 1,311,532 discloses electrically heating the fuel in a carburetor. At least some of these devices are considered dangerous due to the potential for an explosion in the carburetor in the event of engine backfire. Some are highly complex.
Hence, although many high efficiency, fuel utilization systems have been proposed over the decades, none is believed to have been successfully marketed, in spite of high fuel costs and periodic fuel shortages. Most internal combustion engines in use are so inefficient that they require catalytic converters to cause further combustion of noxious, partially combusted gases to a level below legally acceptable limits. The usual maximum air to fuel ratio is about 14.7 to 1.